Friday, July 6, 2018
'After Midnight Bear Fishing at Brooks Falls July 6, 2018 at approximately 00:44:' Juergen captured this video of the bear fishing at the falls at 00:44: Brooks Camp KNP July 6.2018 Album by Juergen with pics and many gifs 'Comment Chat with Mike Fitz and Ranger Russ 09:00 - 11:00:' Mike Fitz opened the comment chat at 09:00 with this comment, including extensive information that he also included in a recent Explore blog : "Good morning from Brooks Camp. Russ Taylor and I will be chatting with you until 11 a.m. AKDT (3 p.m. EDT) to talk about bears, salmon, and Katmai. I’m explore.org’s bearcam fellow for 2018 and Ranger Russ is an interpretive ranger at Katmai National Park. Due to the volume of questions, we request you follow a specific format during this formal Q&A. Every fifteen minutes, we’ll post a comment asking for your questions. Please post your question in response to those prompts. As always, you’re welcome to discuss our answers and ask follow up questions. When you post in response to the fifteen minute prompts, however, then it will greatly help us to keep track of your questions, and (hopefully) reduce the chances of missing a question. Post your questions and comments below. Sometimes the volume of questions can be high, especially at the beginning of the chat, but we’ll do our best to answer them. Please keep in mind that it might take 20 minutes or more for us to respond to posted questions. Thanks for joining us today. Ranger Andrew and I hosted a live chat about the recent death of a spring cub at Brooks River, but the audio quality and battery life conspired to cut it short. I wrote an extensive post about the cub’s death for explore.org’s blog and it is included below. —— As the smallest and most vulnerable of all bears, first year cubs (also called spring cubs or cubs-of-the-year) face significant risks and challenges, not the least of which are larger bears. On July 3, Katmai National Park ranger Andrew LaValle and I were hosting a live broadcast from Brooks Falls. About 40 minutes into the broadcast, we watched Brooks River’s most dominant bear, 856, chase another large male bear, 634 Popeye, downstream and out of our line of sight. Just a few minutes later and off camera, 856 encountered a mother bear and two spring cubs. He then attacked one of the cubs and killed it. The death is a powerful illustration of risk and danger in the bears’ world. So focused on the waterfall in front of us, neither Andrew nor I saw or heard anything that even hinted at the event unfolding less than a hundred yards away, but a group of park visitors and employees witnessed the attack at the riffles platform, an elevated wildlife-viewing platform downstream of the falls. They saw 856 encounter 132 after he broke off his chase with 634 Popeye. 856 then saw the cub and attacked. 132 tried to defend her cubs but was overpowered by the much larger 856, who quickly returned to the injured cub and killed it. 132’s other cub escaped up a spruce tree, where it remained for about two hours. 856's motivation in this instance isn't entirely clear. He didn't eat it, so hunger might not have played a strong role. Some biologists hypothesize that mate recognition influences the frequency of infanticide in certain species. Male bears may recognize former mates and kill cubs from unfamiliar females to reduce future competition for themselves and their kin. They may also be motivated to sire more offspring. Killing all cubs from a litter can cause a female bear to enter estrus and potentially be available to mate again. Importantly, the instinct to attack vulnerable animals, even if it leads to infanticide, might simply be a trait of many bears. In 2013, the bearcams captured footage of 402 defending her cubs from 813, an adult female, after 813 began to pursue one of 402’s cubs as it fell over Brooks Falls. For the mother, the cub's death represents a significant loss. She's devoted considerable time and energy into caring for it, and 132 risked severe injury, even death, when she tried to defend her cub from 856. Mother bears seem to recognize the risk posed by other bears, which could be the main reason why many females avoid bringing their spring cubs near the falls. However, the possible reward of abundant salmon can be a powerful motivator for a mother who’s trying to meet the nutritional demands of her cubs and satisfy her own insatiable hunger. Under the circumstances, the infanticide seemed to be a product of chance. Bears appear conditioned to attack vulnerable prey, even if it doesn't necessarily lead to a meal. 856, perhaps perceiving the cub’s vulnerability, took advantage of a situation where the cub couldn't defend itself or flee. Bears also show no empathy for their prey. It’s easy to see salmon suffering under the claws and teeth of hungry bears, such as when bears tear the skin off of living salmon. These events certainly aren’t committed under malice or cruelty, as bears live outside our morals, ethics, and the other values that help define our sense of right and wrong. When I left Brooks Falls at 10 p.m. on July 3, 132’s remaining spring cub had just climbed out of its sanctuary in the spruce tree. It continued to bawl as it walked farther into the forest. As I departed, I caught a glimpse of 132 sniffing at the same tree where the cub found temporary safety. She then walked in the direction the cub had taken shortly before. Now, we know that 132 was reunited with her remaining cub. Brown bears live in a fierce and competitive world, and spring cubs are the most vulnerable of all bears. Through luck, skill, and the guidance of their mothers, cubs can grow into healthy independent bears. It’s a risky and challenging world though, one in which cubs, their mothers, and the river’s most dominant bears all compete to survive within." 'Explore.org Blog: Death of Bear Cubs at Brooks River by Mike Fitz, July 6, 2018:' Death of Bear Cubs at Brooks River by Mike Fitz, Explore.org blog: Medium Link 'Katmai Centennial Event: Ranger Russ Taylor & Dr. Katherine Ringsmuth, Historian at the Alaska Association for Historic Preservation , July 6, 2018 17:00:'https://katmai-bearcams.wikia.com/wiki/Ranger_Live_Chats?action=edit&section=9 Katmai Centennial Event: One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Brooks Fish Dr. Katie Ringsmuth, historian at the Alaska Association for Historic Preservation, shares the history of fisheries management at Katmai National Park and how 50 years of counting fish helped to create one of the greatest commercial fisheries in the world. Katmai Conservancy released this YouTube video : 'Salmon Escapement News ~ Naknek River Met the Bottom End of its Escapement Goal of 800,000 Reds on July 6, 2018:' July 7. 2018 KLDG article: Naknek-Kvichak District Closes to Boost Kvichak River Escapement states that "The Naknek River, on the other hand, met the bottom end of its escapement goal yesterday (July 6, 2018) of 800,000 reds." 'Bearcam Week In Review ~ July 6, 2018:' Bearcam Mods GABear and LaniH created the July 6, 2018 Bearcam Week In Review Explore blog .